Foster Field Trips: A Gateway to Community Engagement in Getting Pets Adopted

Foster Field Trips: A Gateway to Community Engagement in Getting Pets Adopted

February 2018 by Kelly Duer

Audience:
Foster Caregivers, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers

Whether you're looking to start a foster program at your shelter or give a boost to an already-existing foster program, Maddie's Fund has a webcast series for you! We're going all-in on foster care, including programs that have worked to get more dogs and cats adopted in communities across the country. You'll have the chance to learn from your peers in other organizations, get your questions answered, and start saving more lives. View the complete series here, and sign up today!

Foster care covers a lot of territory - including the territory a dog explores when out for a walk!

Foster field trips can bring volunteers into the foster program who aren't ready or currently able to foster long-term. They provide a great benefit in stress-reduction for the dogs and will continue to benefit those dogs in different ways after the dogs return to the shelter after their field trip. They also bring the pets and awareness of the organization out into the community, so that more people may become involved as adopters, donors, volunteers, and supporters.

In a free webcast on Thursday, March 1, 2018, at 9 PM Eastern, Foster Field Trips: A Gateway to Community Engagement in Getting Pets Adopted, Kelly Duer, Maddie's® Foster Care Specialist and Foster Expansion Coordinator, will share how getting pets out of the shelter for even a few hours can create benefits for the pet, the community, and the adoption organization. Her presentation will cover:

An overview of Louisville Metro Animal Services' program and its growth

Logistics and data for Austin Animal Center's program

Logistics and data from Animal Ark Rescue's program

How adoptions can be more successful because the organization receives feedback on dogs' behavior outside its doors, and adopters have more information about a pet

How to use a foster field trip program to build better community relationships

How to tailor program logistics to your population and needs

Raising money for the program

Training volunteers to coordinate or assist with your program

Finding outing locations

Marketing the program

And more!

Join us for Foster Field Trips: A Gateway to Community Engagement in Getting Pets Adopted on Thursday, March 1, 2018.

The presentation will last for 60 minutes, including an opportunity for Q&A.

About Kelly Duer

Maddie's® Foster Care Specialist and Foster Expansion Coordinator

Kelly Duer is Maddie's® Foster Care Specialist and Foster Expansion Coordinator for a national study of foster care for medium and large dogs with long shelter stays. She also co-coordinates the Medium and Large Adult Dog Foster Apprenticeships, which bring shelter leaders from across the country together to learn how to implement foster programs for adult dogs.

Her work has been featured in many national publications, websites and networks, including Animal Sheltering magazine, the Huffington Post, Best Friends magazine, BarkPost, iheartdogs.com, HuffPost Live and Fox News. Kelly has presented at various conferences including the Best Friends National Conference, American Pets Alive! and HSUS Animal Care Expo.